DETERMINERS

What is determiners ?
Determiners is words or phrases that
precede a noun or noun phrase and serve
to express its reference in the context.
OR
A determiner is a word which is used
before a noun to show which particular
example of the noun you are referring to.

KINDS OF DETERMINERS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Articles
Quantifiers
Demonstratives
Numbers
Distributives
Possessives
Difference Words
Defining Words
Question Words

1. ARTICLES
A. Definite Articles
The is known as the definite article in English. Its uses are as follows:
When something is being referred to that has already been
mentioned. For e.g. I saw a pretty girl at the mall today. The pretty
girl did not, however, see me
When both parties involved in the conversation are aware of what is
being discussed. For e.g. Where is the restroom?
To refer to unique objects. For e.g. the sun, the moon, the Earth, the
Taj Mahal.
With superlatives and ordinal numbers (numbers used to rank a set of
objects). For e.g. Mt Everest is the tallest mountain on earth, Neil
Armstrong was the first man on the moon.
To refer to groups of people, geographical areas and oceans, and with
decades or groups of years. For e.g. the Americans, the
Sahara/Pacific, the fifties/sixties/seventies/eighties.

B. Indefinite Articles
A and an are indefinite articles that serve the same purpose, but they cannot be
used interchangeably, because a is only used before words that begin with
consonants, and an is used only before words that begin with vowels.
(Note: an before h when it is silent, as in hour and honor; a before u and
eu when they sound like you, as in European and university.
The uses of the indefinite article are as follows:
To refer to some member of a group, class or category.
For e.g. He is a doctor (profession)/an Indian (nationality)/a Hindu (religion).
To refer to a kind of, or example of something.
For e.g. He has a large nose/a thick beard/a strange aunt.
Preceding singular nouns, with the words what and such.
For e.g. What a car! Oh, thats such a shame!
To mean one object, whether a person or thing.
For e.g. The thieves stole a necklace and a portrait.
To refer to something that is being mentioned for the first
time.
For e.g. There was a chill in the air.

2. QUANTIFIERS
A quantifier is a word or phrase which is used before a noun to indicate
the amount or quantity: 'Some', 'many', 'a lot of' and 'a few' are
examples of quantifiers.
Quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns
Examples of quantifiers
With Uncountable Nouns
much
a little/little/very little

a bit (of)
a great deal of
a large amount of
a large quantity of

With Countable Nouns

many
a few/few/very few **
a number (of)
several
a large number of
a great number of
a majority of

With Both
All ; enough ; more/most ; less/least ; no/none ;not any ;
some; any ;a lot of ; lots of; plenty of

Examples:
There are some books on the desk
He's got only a few dollars.
How much money have you got?
There is a large quantity of fish
in this river.
He's got more friends than his
sister.
few, very few mean that there is not enough of
something.
a few means that there is not a lot of something, but
there is enough.
little, very little mean that there is not enough of
something.
a little means that there is not a lot of something,
but there is enough.

3. DEMONSTRATIVES
Demonstratives are used to state the distance from the speaker.
They describe the position of an object, seen from the speakers
viewpoint.
There are 4 demonstratives that, this, these and those
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AMONG THEM ?
"This" is used for singular nouns that are close to the
speaker.
"That" is used for singular nouns that are far from the
speaker.
"These" is used for plural nouns that are close to the
speaker.
"Those" is used for plural nouns that are far from the
speaker.

4. NUMBERS
There are two kinds of number :
1. Cardinal Numbers
Example : One, Two, Three, Four, Five,.etc
Cardinal numbers are adjectives that indicate quantity
Example : There are five apples on the table

2. Ordinal Numbers
Example : First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth,.etc
Ordinal numbers indicate rank or order
Example : This is the first time for me on a plane

5 Distributives
The words all, both, half, each, every, either and neither
are known as distributives.
All, Both, Half
These three words can be used in the following ways:

All +
uncountable noun
Don Bradman is the greatest batsman of all
time.
the + uncountable noun/countable noun in plural form
We have all the time in the world.
All the people in the hall went quiet.
my, your, etc + uncountable noun/countable noun in
plural form
All my life I have been waiting for this moment.
All you friends have been invited to the party.
this, that + uncountable noun/these, those + countable
noun in plural form
Look at all this dust!
I do not have time for all these formalities.

Both +
the /my, your, etc/these, those +
countable noun in plural form (note: used only
when two objects are being referred to)
Both the dogs have passed away.
Both my ankles have been hurting since I
jumped from the balcony.
Both these books must be returned within
the week.

Half
a + uncountable noun
+

We bought half a kilo of rice.

the/my, your, etc/this, that, these,
those + noun

Half the village perished in the floods.

I spent half my inheritance on travelling the
world.
You may have half (of) this cake.
Only half (of) those points are relevant.
Each, Every, Either, Neither

6.Possessives
Possessive pronouns and adjectives indicate who an object
belongs to.
The pronouns are
mine (first person: This car is mine = I own
this car)
yours (second person: This car is yours = You
own this car)
his, hers, and its (third person: This cars is
his/hers = He/she owns this car).

The corresponding adjectives are

my
your
his, her, and it

7.Difference
words
Other and another are difference words; they
refer to something different, or remaining, or
more.
Other is used with singular and plural nouns,
while another is used strictly with singular
nouns.

What other colours can I get this in?

Is there another colour that this is available in?

8.Defining
words
Which and whose are defining words; they
indicate which thing or person is being
referred to.
This is the house which I used to live in as a
child.
This is the man whose window you broke.

9.Question
words
question word is a function word used to
ask a question, such as what, when, where,
who why and how
For example :

a. What does he teach

you ?

b. When does he usually have tea?

c. Where do you live?
d. Who teaches you English?
e. Why do you leave me?
f. How do you do?

thank you